Sermon Manuscript

Philippians 2:9-11; The Name Above All ~ 20231126 ~ Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org

11/26 Philippians 2:9-11; The Name Above All Names; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20231126_philippians-2_9-11.mp3

Jesus emptied himself. Eternally existing in the very form of God; sharing the divine glory with his Father, he didn’t cling to the glory of his status as equal with his Father. Jesus emptied himself, not by becoming less than what he was; God cannot change. He emptied himself by becoming something he had never been before, he took the form of a servant. He was born in the likeness of men. Remaining fully God, he concealed his divine glory behind ordinary human flesh. Remaining what he was, he became what he was not. The eternal Son of God became the God-man; two natures, human and divine, united indivisibly in one person forever. Incarnation. God with flesh on. This is what we celebrate at Christmas.

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ...14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt [tabernacled – pitched his tent] among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. ...18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.

The eternal divine nature united to an authentically human nature, Jesus, having taken the form of a slave,

Philippians 2:8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

God who came down, the God-man, humbled himself to suffer the ultimate humiliation. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. He was betrayed by a friend for the price of a common slave. Falsely accused, a mockery of justice, he was flogged, mocked, spat upon, treated as a common criminal, stripped naked, nailed to the wood of a tree he had breathed into existence, lifted up between heaven and earth to bear all my shame, my guilt, the full wrath of a just God toward my sins. All this Jesus took voluntarily, as my substitute.

Philippians 2:9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

The Exaltation of the Man

Jesus emptied himself. Jesus humbled himself. So the Father super-exalted his Son Jesus.

Luke 14:11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Jesus humbled himself more than anyone ever could. Therefore, his Father lifted him up higher than anyone ever. In what way did God exalt Jesus? The glory of divine majesty already belonged to him by right. Jesus prayed in Jn.17

John 17:5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.

This is not the same as that. That glory belonged to his divine nature. This glory in Philippians is a new glory, a gift from the Father, freely and graciously bestowed. This was an an exaltation Jesus did not have before, and it was given as a result of his self-humbling. Jesus emptied himself by becoming human; Jesus humbled himself by his obedient submission to crucifixion as the sin-bearing substitute. Therefore, this is why God has super-exalted him. This lifting up is related to his humanity. We looked last time at Psalm 8, applied in Hebrews 2 to Jesus in his humiliation and exaltation.

Psalm 8:4 what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? 5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. 6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, ...9 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Jesus humbled himself to become human, to die for our sins; so the Father lifted up the God-man Jesus. Where Adam exalted himself and sinned, seeking to be like God; Jesus did not consider his equality with God something to cling selfishly to, but became man to rescue us. So Jesus the man was lifted up, crowned with glory and honor, given dominion over all creation.

We were given this vision in Daniel 7

Daniel 7:13 “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. 14 And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.

Now we can put together the background of this scene, who this one like a son of man is, where he came from, how he came to be in the likeness of a son of man, why he was given dominion, glory, and an everlasting kingdom. Because he humbled himself.

The Name

Philippians 2:9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,

What is the name that is above every name? Last time we looked at Psalm 97, where this word ‘super-exalted’ was used.

Psalm 97:9 For you, O LORD [YHWH], are most high over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods.

YHWH is the one who is super-exalted above all gods. When Jesus told the Pharisees that Abraham rejoiced to see his day, they were incredulous; you are not yet fifty years old; have you seen Abraham?

John 8:58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”

Jesus doesn’t say ‘before Abraham was, I was.’ That would’ve been better grammar. He is connecting them back to the divine name given to Moses in Exodus 3:14

Exodus 3:13 Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” 15 God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.

Jesus claims the divine name, the I AM, YHWH, the self-existent one, I am that I am. Jesus was claiming the divine name YHWH and the Jews understood it.

John 8:59 So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.

The Glory of God the Redeemer

Jesus knew who he was. When he humbled himself to become human his identity never changed. He remained who he always was. But he did not receive the honor due his great name. He was rejected, betrayed, dishonored, we spat on him. Here, as a result of his self-humbling, the Father lifted him up so that he would receive the glory due his name, and even more; not only as the eternal Son, creator and sustainer of all that exists, but now as rescuer and redeemer, the one who became man to save mankind, who under the worst circumstances as a man perfectly obeyed the Father, and won the praise ‘this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased’ (Mt.3:17; 17:5).

All Authority Given to Jesus

Therefore God vindicated the great name of his only Son, and gave him the name that is above every name. After his resurrection Jesus said:

Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

The Father gave Jesus all authority. Romans describes the good news;

Romans 1:1 ...the gospel of God, 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,

Ephesians 1 describes;

Ephesians 1:19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church,

Every Knee, Every Tongue

Every knee will bow at the name of Jesus. Every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. This is a quote from Isaiah 45. Isaiah 45 is a chapter that exults in the exclusive glory of God;

Isaiah 45:5 I am the LORD, and there is no other, besides me there is no God... 6 that people may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides me; I am the LORD, and there is no other. 7 I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity, I am the LORD, who does all these things.

...14 ...Egypt ...Cush, and the Sabeans, ...saying: ‘Surely God is in you, and there is no other, no god besides him.’”

... 18 For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens (he is God!), who formed the earth and made it (he established it; he did not create it empty, he formed it to be inhabited!): “I am the LORD, and there is no other.

... 21 Declare and present your case; let them take counsel together! Who told this long ago? Who declared it of old? Was it not I, the LORD? And there is no other god besides me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none besides me. 22 “Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. 23 By myself I have sworn; from my mouth has gone out in righteousness a word that shall not return: ‘To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance.’

YHWH alone is God; there is no other. To YHWH every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance. Romans 14 applies this to Jesus;

Romans 14:9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. ...11 for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.”

Every knee, in heaven and on earth and under the earth shall bow to Jesus. Every tongue; every people, tribe and nation shall swear allegiance to Jesus. Every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is YHWH, the LORD, to the glory of God the Father.

Confessing Jesus Christ as LORD

To Thomas, skeptical of the resurrection, Jesus said:

John 20:27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”

Thomas owned the resurrected Jesus as his Lord and his God.

John 20:29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” 30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Eternal life is contingent on believing in Jesus, swearing allegiance to Jesus, on owning him as your Lord and your God.

Acts 2:21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

Acts 4:10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. 11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

This man, Jesus of Nazareth, God exalted and gave the name above all names. Romans 10 says

Romans 10:9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Have you? Have you bowed the knee? You will. Best to willingly bow to him now and be saved. He came to die for you!

Philippians 2:5 ...Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

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2023.11.26 Sermon Notes

Philippians 2:9-11; The Name Above All Names

Incarnation; emptied himself by becoming human

John 1:1, 14, 18

Humbled himself by death on a cross

Philippians 2:8; Luke 14:11

God exalted the man Jesus

John 17:5; not only restored to his pre-incarnate glory

Psalm 8; Hebrews 2:5-10; exalted as rescuer and redeemer

Daniel 7:13-14

YHWH the name above all names

Psalm 97:9; John 8:58-59; Exodus 3:13-15

All authority given to Jesus

Matthew 3:17; 17:5; 28:18;

Romans 1:1-4; Ephesians 1:19-22

Every knee bow to YHWH, every tongue confess

Isaiah 45:5-7; 14, 18, 21-23; Romans 14:9-11

Confess Jesus Christ as your LORD

John 20:27-31; Acts 2:21; 4:10-12; Romans 10:9-13

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Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org